Crashing down
by NewHabitat
Summary: How come Eric became so cruel and heartless? Why does he think he is doing the right thing by helping Jeanine Matthews hunt down Divergents? Find out what happened a year before Tris' initiation
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone :) I hope you'll enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Except for my OC, everything belongs to Veronica Roth_

Initiation was starting today. A group of ten transfers was facing two dauntless leaders. Both were only seventeen but looked much older than the transfers who were only a year younger. The first one took a step ahead, his feet hitting hard on the ground in a military way, and held his hands behind his back. His light hair was cut short and almost shaved on both sides of his head. The arch of his right eyebrow was pierced with two black piercings and he wore black gauges on both his ears, along with geometrical tattoos on the sides of his neck. This style was not rare in dauntless but combined with his muscular figure and his angular features, he looked definitely intimidating.  
"For those who don't know, my name is Eric, and this is Four" he said in a toneless and rough voice that matched his menacing appearance. "We are here to test you during the different stages of the initiation process that everyone goes through to become a full member of dauntless. You will be ranked on this board depending on your achievements and anyone getting their name in the red will make their way out of here." A look of worry transformed the transfers' face.

"What do you mean? What happens then?" A boy from Abnegation named Eli asked.

"It means you'll become factionless" Eric answered without blinking, causing some initiates to gasp in worry. "If anyone fears that they won't make it through initiation, feel free to leave now and save us some time." No one moved as most of the initiates tried convince themselves they made the right decision by choosing dauntless. "As you noticed, you're all transfers, meaning you'll be trained apart from the dauntless-born initiates. But you will share the ranking so I suggest you work hard if you want us to choose you."

Eric took a step back this time to let Four speak and crossed his arms on his chest, his muscles becoming even more prominent.

"Every day, training will start at eight in the morning till six in the evening, with a break for lunch. This morning we'll start with a tour of the compound, then you'll get dressed properly, have lunch and meet us at 2 pm right here". His tone was more pleasant than Eric's, as well as his expression which looked a lot less obnoxious. "Please line up so we can register your names into this software. You can choose a new name if you wish." Despite his warmer aura, Four inspired as much respect. His figure was more slender than Eric's but every one of his moves seemed well-thought-out, meaning he was probably great at fighting. The initiates obeyed him instantly, queuing up to form a line and chatting to decide whether or not they would change their name. After a few minutes, Eric's composed expression switched to confusion for half a second as he met the eyes of one the transfers. Her petite and curvy figure was different from what he remembered, but she still wore her long wavy dark hair, tied in a braid that looked a bit messy from jumping on trains or down roofs. Seeing her brown eyes shaped like almonds brought back a collection of memories to Eric. He felt strange seeing her standing there, in the same room as him, after all this time. She had changed a lot but he could never forget those features. She looked away as if she had not noticed Eric and went to register. Without saying anything, she typed her name with trembling hands and walked aside. June, that was the name she chose.

When everyone was finished, Four and Eric led the group to their dormitory, composed of two rows of five beds, a few pieces of furniture and a collective bathroom.

"Don't search for another bathroom. You will share one between male and female so get over it." Eric explained, smirking.

He ordered them to change into their new clothes then to throw their old ones into the fire. Before he and Four left the group for lunch, Eric glanced discreetly at June who was taking off her shirt and trying to hide her body as much as she could, obviously uncomfortable.

Eric sat down at his usual table, along with other dauntless men. He was the youngest at this table but looked a lot more experienced in life than the others. The room was huge and very loud, as everyone talked while eating. The initiates noticed that the meals were full of proteins and starch in order to provide all the energy that a dauntless needs. From where he sat, Eric scrutinized the room silently to find June but there was no trace of her in the cafeteria.

At 1:45 pm, both leaders were already back in the training area. None of them spoke as they set up the training material, creating an awkward silence. After all, they had nothing to say to each other and even if Four made the effort, Eric was not willing to do the same at all. He hated him and his perfection. He hated the fact that he didn't prove to himself he could be the best once in his life, because Four came first after their own initiation. He hated how charismatic Four was, how people obeyed him without questioning his authority. He was clearly jealous but also had no problem admitting it.

The initiates arrived on time and stood in silence, waiting for instructions. This time, Four spoke first.

"This afternoon begins the first part of the program. It focuses on your physical strength even though your mental remains important. You will be practicing your fighting and shooting skills. Firstly you will get into those individual booths and put on those glasses that will create a numerical enemy against whom you must fight. An inter-active software will help you enhance your technique and at the end of the day, you will be fighting against another initiate. Your ranking will change tonight depending on whether you won or lost your fight. At the end of the initiation, the ranking will help determine which job will fit you here in dauntless, if you make it to the end."

The individual booths had been placed during lunch time in the practice area. The see-through door allowed the leaders to watch the initiates practice as they were facing a green wall. The booths were secured with fingerprint technology and only the leaders could open them. Four did so, while Eric handed out the glasses and set up the software. He was not surprised to see June standing at the very end of the line, as if she wanted to push away her encounter with him. When her turn came, he grabbed the last pair of glasses and attempted to set them on her nose himself, but she stepped back violently and he felt her cold hands snatching the glasses away from him.

"I can do that myself." She affirmed, frowning.

"Sure you can". He repeated, with a grating voice.

He then led her to the booth, noticing her annoyance through her look.

After the training, all the initiates were ordered to sit down by the ring to watch each other fight. Four called randomly for an initiate named Mary and Eric had to do the same.

"I call for June." The brown-haired girl looked already exhausted from the earlier practice. She climbed on the ring with difficulty and breathed hard while closing her eyes. She met Eric's stare and looked disgusted by him.

-  
_Please let me know how you found the first part of my story! Most of the rest is already written but I'll consider your suggestions ;) And sorry about any grammar/spelling mistakes, English isn't my first language ^^_


	2. Chapter 2

_"__I call for June." The brown-haired girl looked already exhausted from the earlier practice. She climbed on the ring with difficulty and breathed hard while closing her eyes. She met Eric's stare and looked disgusted by him. _

As the fight went on, much to Eric's surprise, June made a few good moves. He didn't remember her as such perseverant fighter. But that still wasn't enough compared to Mary, who seemed to have had fights since she was little. Almost ten long minutes later, June was lying down and holding her stomach while her eyebrow was bleeding profusely.

"Come on, get up now!" Eric shouted, not wanting to see June fail. "I'm sure you've witnessed worse than a stupid girls fight!" That was a phrase only she and he could understand. June looked up at Eric, half determined to get up, half disgusted by the fact that he had motivated her to do so. But Mary took advantage of the situation and kicked June in the stomach a few more times. A last punch in the face, and Mary won the fight. That hurt, but that was fair. The other initiatives understood that it was a real competition. None of them applauded Mary though, probably in respect to June. The agonizing girl could not make a move and when she started coughing blood, Eric felt thrills go down his spine. The last thing he was known for was showing concern except that he couldn't help it. But it was Four who intervened first. He took the girl in his arms and carried her to the hospital aisle. Meanwhile, Eric composed himself quickly in order not to draw attention and prepared the next fight.

All the initiates had been dismissed, most of them were glad to get some rest because of their injuries due to the fights. Four and Eric each made their own ranking of the initiates so that an average would be calculated. That was their last duty as trainers for the day. When they were finished, Four said goodbye to Eric, who obviously did not respond. Being civil to Four was too hard for Eric, since he got that second place after their initiation.

It was 6:30pm so Eric made his way to the pit to meet some friends. But as he crossed the different corridors, he passed by the one leading to the hospital aisle. Was it curiosity or concern that made him change his path? Either way, it was totally uncommon of him to check on someone after they had been injured. After all, everybody gets their ass kicked at some point.

He stood in the doorway without moving. Fortunately, no one was around to see him. June was asleep, certainly because of the drugs they gave her. He stepped into the room and grabbed her folder, hanging at the bottom of her bed. He did not understand all of the medical terms but from what he read, her stomach was not in good shape. He supposed that caused the bloody coughing. He stared at her bruised face one last time and was surprised to feel his heart skip a beat as he realized the bad state she was in. He then walked out of the room, not noticing that she had slightly opened her eyes.

At dinner, Four came to Eric's table.

"We need to talk about June's situation." Four said.

"What is there to talk about?" Eric feigned ignorance, chewing on a piece of beef.

"I've talked to the nurse who tells me that she needs three days of recovery. That is the fastest they can heal her, with the new drugs they administrated to her."

"So what?"  
"Well, it's up to us to decide whether we eliminate her today, or if we delay the initiation."

Eric stopped eating. He hadn't even thought about eliminating her on her first day, as he would have with anyone else. If he decided to eliminate her now, she would become factionless.

"What do you think?" He asked Four, secretly hoping for a positive answer.

"I think we should give her a second chance. We don't know yet what she can do with more training."

Eric nodded in approbation, holding in a sigh of relief and Four left the room.

Three day went by, giving the initiates time to accommodate to their new environment as the initiation was delayed. It also gave time to Eric to realize that June was unwillingly messing up his emotional balance. Not wanting to feed his urge to see her, he decided not to go visit her again at the hospital wing. After all, she was just a girl he used to know. If he had to get tough on her to show himself she was nothing more, then he would.

When June entered the training area, everybody was already here.

"Don't you think we've already waited for you enough?" Eric asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, but it's not 8 yet."

"Those days in the hospital didn't make you lose your attitude." The tension was rising in the room. "You should be grateful that we're giving you a second chance not to become factionless. Besides, you should try to earn my respect as I am ranking you" He threatened as he knew she wouldn't have the guts to reply to that.

"Alright, today is the second day of initiation." Four went on, trying to ease the atmosphere despite the killing looks Eric and June were throwing at each other. "I'll go over the program then we can start. Today you will practice your shooting skills and your endurance. You are going to train outside through an obstacles race and shoot on targets. The first seven people to finish the race will be considered as winners and ranked depending on their place in the race. The last ones will be considered as losers. For each shoot you'll have to complete, you will have two bullets. If you fail, you must start the race from the beginning."

After the explanations, the group walked outside, led by Eric. The race was divided in three parts, with two shooting stages. The whole installation looked impressively huge.

"The fastest anyone has ever completed this race was 43 minutes and 20 seconds. This is nothing compared to what you may have to go through in reality." Eric warned. "Anyone who gives up will be eliminated". He looked straight in June's eyes, but did not see any fear as he expected.

Everyone got mentally prepared and went to the entrance of the race. The first obstacle was a ten meters high rope wall that led to a horizontal ladder where the initiates must hang and go forward using their arms.

When the signal was launched, everyone started climbing the rope wall as fast as possible. And as the minutes passed, one little figure started making its way faster than the other ones. Eric could not believe it, June was the fastest. She had a great balance and her moves were quick and precise. With a bit more training, she could become a real competitor in this activity. Four looked at Eric with the same astonished look, not expecting such a performance from a girl who had just spent three days in the hospital. A boy from abnegation named Evan was second in the race but his tall figure didn't let him catch up on June. Minutes after minutes, despite her increasing tiredness, she managed to remain first and outdistance her adversaries. Surprisingly, she did not miss any of her two targets and Eric wondered how she became so good with a gun. The last initiate was clearly not feeling at ease with this kind of training. Her name was Ashley and she came from Erudite. She wasn't slow but she missed her target every single time and kept on restarting the race from the beginning. After fifty minutes and thirty-two seconds, June crossed the ending line of the race, heavily panting. As Four announced her time, a small hint of pride showed on her face. Eric couldn't help feeling quite proud as well. He walked up to her as she sat against a tree and crouched down to face her.

"Where did you learn to shoot so accurately?" He asked her curiously.

"That's none of your business." She replied right away. "Leave me alone, I'm pretty sure you know how to do that." She spat at him with so much hate, it gave him chills.

He was rarely lost for words but at that moment, the only thing he could do was to obey and walk away.

_Thanks to those who read my first chapter! I hope you will enjoy the rest ;)_


End file.
